After notoriously shutting down nearly two-thirds of Libya’s oil ports in 2013, Petroleum Facilities Guarding Authority commander Ibrahim Jathran, recently promised to open the oil fields and ports, without any preconditions or political pressure. This time, opening up the oil field does not aim to serve the interests of the interim government in Al Bayda or the national salvation government in Tripoli, rather, It will be in favor of the national unity government,  Jathran told Correspondents.

After notoriously shutting down nearly two-thirds of Libya’s oil ports in 2013, Petroleum Facilities Guarding Authority commander Ibrahim Jathran, recently promised to open the oil fields and ports, without any preconditions or political pressure. This time, opening up the oil field does not aim to serve the interests of the interim government in Al Bayda or the national salvation government in Tripoli, rather, It will be in favor of the national unity government,  Jathran told Correspondents.

The pledge came in a statement published on 30 March when the national unity government entered Tripoli aboard a Libyan warship. Although the interim Libyan government in Al Bayda has yet to relinquish its offices and mission, Jathran expressed full readiness to operate under the umbrella of the new government.

Ibrahim Jathran, you said in your latest statement that you are ready to work under the legitimacy of the national unity government. What if that government commissioned other new political figures to take charge of the installations under your command and all other subsidiaries?

We will welcome any decision made by the new government and pledge to comply with its orders. Our militias were the first to give their blessing to the formation of the government and will not be the first to disobey its decisions. While we expressed our readiness to work under its legitimacy, we have no intention of holding on to government seats and responsibilities. We will only contribute to putting things in the right perspective. Libya has suffered enough recently and it is time to stabilize our country’s political, security and economic situation.

What about your commitment to the legitimacy of the interim government headed by Abdullah al-Thani at Al Bayda, given that it has not yet relinquished powers to the new government?

Quite frankly, the interim government at Al Bayda exerted all efforts to assert itself, but it faced considerable obstacles all along. Even the internationally recognized legitimacy it acquired during its mission did not contribute to resolving the outstanding problems in Libya.

The world still deals with the Central Bank of Tripoli and the international oil tankers still need permission from the National Oil Corporation in Tripoli. This situation might be due to a deliberate action by the countries that do not want to see stability achieved in Libya – this was the reality coupled with the presence of another parallel government in Tripoli, albeit illegal. The new government was formed to bridge the gap and establish a government whose legitimacy is recognized by the world and the nation at large, especially after enjoying the confidence of more than 100 members of the Libyan House of Representatives. Sensible persons are fully aware that those who do not accept the national unity government are concerned about their own personal interests. The government took over Tripoli and it was acclaimed and welcomed by the general public.

You said that the closed ports and oilfields under your control are at the disposal of the national unity government. What are these ports and fields?

They are not under our control, but they are rather under our protection. We are concerned with their protection and security. These ports include Port of Hariqa in Tobruk, Port of Zuwetina in west Benghazi, Port of Brega and ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf at Ras Lanuf district. As for the oilfields, there are numerous oilfields and can be summed in the fields located in southeast Libya, which produces more than two-thirds of the Libyan oil.

The ports of Sidra and Ras Lanuf, through which the largest shipments of Libyan oil is exported, are under force majeure. Even if the force majeure is lifted, their maintenance would need quite a long time, not to mention the serious threat posed by ISIS.

We are aware of that. As a first step, the world and the countries interested in Libyan oil should know that these ports will resume their operations soon especially since, as you mentioned, most of the exported oil is carried out through these two ports. Given a conducive work environment, the maintenance of these ports will not take long and I believe the new government is well aware of the importance of these ports. I also think that securing and protecting this important area in Libya will be a top priority for the national unity government.

With regards to ISIS, it is not a matter of great importance for us. We have proved before that its defeat is very easy. Last January’s clashes with this group stand out as a big testimony. We eliminated more than 60 of their militants within two days. We can launch an attack against them at any time to eliminate them and we have plans that we cannot disclose.

Why have not you opened these ports to the interim government in Al Bayda, given that it was legitimate as you said, prior to the arrival of the national unity government?

We did indeed open these ports and re-exported oil in favor of the interim government, but two things happened which prompted us to shut them again. The first thing was the attack by Alchorouk forces on Ras Lanuf in December 2014 based on a decision of the outgoing National Congress and the damage caused by that attack to the port’s infrastructure facilities. The second issue was that the oil revenue was deposited in the Central Bank in Tripoli in favor of the illegitimate government of al-Ghweil. After consultation with the interim government and the affiliated National Oil Company, it was agreed to stop oil export through Zueitina port and allow export through the port of Hariqa in Tobruk due to technical reasons related to the port and the fields whose oil production is pumped into the port’s storage tanks.

Now there is one government and there will of course be a single company and one central bank. All these ports and oilfields will now be put at its disposal. We will reopen them upon the national unity government’s request.

You said the main reason that made you shut the oil ports in 2013 was the fact that the oil was loaded into the tankers without meters. Will these ports resume their work without meters?

First of all we will ensure that the ports are equipped with the required standards, including the installation of oil metering systems. We are hoping that the new government will be able to rid Libya of the political, economic and security crisis. We are counting on it and we will be with it not against it.